Commissioner concerned about lack of progress for Bradley County veterans home

BRADLEY COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) — A Bradley County Veterans home has been in the works for 14 years.
Some community leaders say they are upset with the lack of progress.

Driving along Westland Drive in Bradley County, you’ll see a plot of land that’s the future home of the Bradley County Tennessee State Veterans Home.

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“We are at a stalemate now. We have 28 acres that has been donated. Bradley County and the City of Cleveland has each contributed two million dollars and we have a donor who has contributed three million dollars, and requests to remain anonymous,” Said Thomas Crye, County Commissioner for District 2 in Bradley County.

Thomas Crye says It was approved at the state and local level, but not federally.

“We always are overlooked and neglected on the construction of the nursing home. There is a problem with our federally elected officials in paying attention to the needs of their constituents,” Crye said.

U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischman says he has consistently fought for additional federal funding for veterans.

“Additionally Representative Desjarlais and I sent a letter to former V.A. Secretary Eric Shinseki asking that he take into account the extraordinary efforts by the great citizens of Bradley County and Governor Haslam’s office to bring a new VA veterans home to the area. Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to our veterans and I will fight to make sure our nation provides them with the resources they have rightly earned,” Fleischmann said.

Crye believes the needs of Bradley County veterans has been ignored for too many years.

“So it is time that we recognize that something has to be done and awaken our federal officials and local officials to get moving on it.”

Crye says there are approximately 48, 000 veterans in the Bradley County area.